For the past 15 years, I have been on the receiving end of caregiver gifts. While gift cards and gadgets and presents were nice, I especially loved the gifts that were handmade.This year, I was on the giving side for the first time. My son has three daycare instructors, who are all amazing. They have made it an easy transition for me for D to attend daycare. Let's be honest, D wasn't phased in the least bit about being dropped off and ditched for the day... Meanwhile I was in tears the first time I realized I had to actually *leave* him there. (Wait, that's how a daycare works?!)I had been wracking my brain on what to make for them. I tried those cute little handprint ornaments for the tree - total fail. D hated having paint on his hands and cried and wouldn't hold still so the prints were just smudges. In the end, we made cookies together and decorated them. We packaged them up, along with Starbucks gift cards for each instructor, and sent them to daycare.D really enjoyed making them. The mixing and the measuring (and remeasuring because half ended up on the floor) were a big hit. He liked rolling out the dough and using the cut outs. I let him stay in the kitchen while I opened the oven to put the cookies in (which is a big deal for him because we always kick him out of the kitchen as his sense of curiosity and the speed he can move is just to great) and he stood there watching the cookies bake through the glass door. When the timer went off, he would shout "back back back back" and back up to a safe distance and sit down (that was the deal, call me paranoid but I don't want a burned baby!) and watch me take them out of the oven. The next day, we iced them. He liked watching me ice them and then had fun shaking out some sprinkles on them. He helped me package them up, though we lost a few cookies to him being too fast to bite into them.

Hiding while eating his stolen cookie

All in all, it was a fun experience to share with him. I love baking (that was my "craving" during pregnancy - that and Skittles) and I love that he's old enough for it now so it can be something to do together and create memories.

D loved eating the cookies, but that's expected! We'll be making some more for my brother-in-laws girlfriend in a few days... This time I am going to let him try icing them with me. Wish me luck!

What an amazing Mom and Dad you are. Dean may not remember all you're doing with him yet but you'll have such amazing memories to tell him about it and the pictures to go with it. He's one lucky little guy.